Mnica da Silva Perez

HUC 106
Prof. Dr. Joni Schwartz
May 4, 2016
PERSUASIVE SPEECH
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that adopt a pet is better than buy one.
Central Idea: Millions of pets are rescued every year and they are killed if not adopted.
Introduction
I.

I will introduce my topic with some rhetorical questions and statistics about rescued

II.

pets in the U.S.

Since I believe adoption is better than purchase, and as I have adopted all my 4 dogs,
I want to persuade my audience to from now on look for pets in shelters instead of pet

III.

stores.
My main points are:
A. Differences between Pet Stores and Shelters
B. Reasons to Adopt
C. How to Adopt a Pet

Body
1. Differences between Pet Stores and Shelters
1.1. How Pet Stores Work (Breeders/Puppy Mills)
According to the article Rescue Me, from Vegetarian Times Magazine (2014),
many pet stores sell pets from puppy mills they operate in large-scale operations
and place profit over well-being of the animals.
1.2 How Shelters Work
Shelters are non-profit organizations that work to rescue pets from abuse and
dangerous environments. They take care of the pets with training, vet visits,
vaccinations and medication, neutering, and microchips (Bowman, 2015). Many
shelters have their rescue pets euthanized if not adopted (The Humane Society).

2. Reasons to Adopt
Now I would like to tell you some good reasons to adopt a pet instead of buy one.
2.1 Support Shelters
There are around 3,500 shelters in the U.S and 10,000 rescue groups and
sanctuaries, according to the Humane Society. No reason to say you cannot find the pet
you would like to adopt. When adopting, you donate an amount to help the shelter to
continue its work it is less than the amount you would have to spend to buy a pet, take
him/her to the vet and give vaccinations and other things.
2.2 Save Life
Some statistics from 2014, according to the Humane Society and ASPCA:
- 6-8 million of cats and dogs rescued per year;
- More than 3 million are euthanized (most of them are cats);
- 80% of killed pets were healthy;
- About 4 million of dogs and cats adopted per year;
- 28% of dogs are purchased from pet stores and 29% of pets are adopted
2.3 Save Money
If you adopt a pet, you must just make a donation to help the shelter. The range is
from $75 to $250 (Bowman, 2015; The Humane Society, 2016), but it can vary
depending on the pet and shelter. When buying or acquiring a pet for free, you have
costs of vet visits, vaccinations, neutering, dewormer and microchip. It can be more
than $800 (Bowman, 2015). For instance, the pet store close to my home was buying
a mini English bulldog for $2,000. We donated $200 when we adopted our Pitbull
mix, and she took all vaccinations, medicines and is already microchipped.
2.4 Improve Health
Pets help reduce depression, lower blood pressure, reduce stress, improve
recovery after heart attack, and increase physical activities are some examples of how
pets can help improve your health (Pets for Patriots, 2011). Adopted pets are grateful
for having a home and safety, so they can give more love and loyalty, and these health
improvements will be greater.

3. How to Adopt a Pet

Finally, there is no reason to buy a pet instead of adopt one. Even if you dont
want a mutt, shelters have about 25% of purebred dogs (The Humane Society, 2014).
I just adopted my Pitbull mix, so I know how to help you to find your pet.
Search tools: ASPCA web site, PetFinder.com or even Google.com.
Fill out a form, have some volunteer calling your references and landlord, get a
home visit, and wait for the approval.

Conclusion
I.

I have explained the difference between acquiring a pet from a pet store and a shelter,

II.

some reasons to adopt a pet from a shelter, and how to adopt.

Now, I would like to finish with some pictures of pets before and after their adoption,
to show you how gratifying is to give them a new chance.

Thank you.

References
ASPCA. (2015). 2014 Annual Report. Retrieved April 25, 2016, from http://www.aspca.org/
Barley, L. (2014). Rescue me. Vegetarian Times, (417), 48-51.
Bowman, A. (2015). The Adoption Option. Prevention, 67(5), 126-129.
How pets improve your health - Pets for Patriots. (2011, September 05). Retrieved April 25,
2016, from https://petsforpatriots.org/how-pets-improve-your-health/

The Humane Society of the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2016, from
http://www.humanesociety.org/